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mzkrista

Whats your thoughts on my barrier containment method.

mzkrista
17 years ago

Hi,

Just wanted to ask how successful my method of containment is for my P.aureosulcata. I have a cement pad about 10x10 in my back yard and surrounding the pad about 2 ft deep I have railroad ties. The yellow groove is planted inside. Its only 3 years old so it hasn't escaped through the sides. I was afraid to plant it inside the ground with a barrier plastic around for fear of escapee rhizome thru the plastic. Plus I have a husband who is a cement contractor and the cement is free. I know someone with Yellow groove near me that has a REAL problem with his grove but it is also 40 years old, I was really surprised that his P.aureosulcata canes are near 4 inches thick!!!!! I didn't think bamboo could get that big in Cleveland! I thought that if later on, if the rhizome try to get out of the contained area they would go sideways thru the railway ties and I could snip off the escapees. Do you think that I will have success this way or maybe problems later that I havent thought of? Mzkrista

Comments (5)

  • kudzu9
    17 years ago

    Mzkrista-
    I think you'll be fine. I'm only concerned that you're too paranoid about your bamboo! I'm growing about 60 species of bamboo in Zone 8 and I don't bother with barriers. I do some rhizome pruning once a year as needed and it keeps things under control with minimal work on my part.

  • User
    17 years ago

    Mzkrista,
    Your containment method sounds good, but how are you going to handle drainage?
    Bamboo hate wet feet.
    Good Luck! I hope it works for you.

  • mzkrista
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Hi Kudzu8,
    You really dont have a problem with your bamboo taking over? How do you do your rhizome pruning? Do you dig around your bamboo? I'm a little paranoid because the neighbor with the 40 year old grove has made me paranoid, because he is constantly telling me that he needs to go with a back hoe and chain saw 3 times a year to prune out the bamboo and rhizome to keep his grove in check. He told me that if he doesn't keep it in check it starts to take over his back yard. After hearing that you tend to get a little paranoid. How big is your property? I have a 1/2 acre with homes around me so I dont want anything to get me in trouble. If your ok in zone 8 with 60 species maybe I'm paranoid. Butterfly4u, I thought the drainage would be ok by the water coming out of the sides of the railroad ties do you think thats sufficent? Thanks

  • kudzu9
    17 years ago

    mzkrista-
    I think your neighbor with the grove has a problem because he didn't try to control it early on and now he has a really huge set of plants to contend with. I also think he may be exaggerating about the back hoe and chain saw.

    I have an acre, with outher homes around, but I used to live on 1/4 acre for over 30 years and had a small grove of Yellow groove bamboo that never was a problem. I rhizome prune with either a sharp shovel or the blade of a pickax. I go out in late summer or early fall and look for evidence of rhizomes that are moving too far out. They are usually close to the surface and you can see evidence of where they are running, or they put up a new shoot. I just figure out where I want to cut back to, and whack the rhizome at that point. Then I pull it out of the ground. However, new rhizomes will typically die in the ground if they're amputated, so this last step is not strictly necessary. If you have moderately soft soil, you can just chop down around the perimter you want to maintain and that should take care of things.

  • stockwell
    17 years ago

    I learned the hard way that some rhizomes will hit the barrier and simply go under it. I just rhizome prune now with a spade and a sawzall.

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